Wash and clean the button mushrooms and pat dry. In a pan sauté onion, garlic and the mixed herbs. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes on a high flame. Add the milk and cook till most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from flame and let it cool. Add butter and blend together in a mixer. Spread this over the multi-grain bread slices and garnish with sliced green olives. Serve chilled.

Energy Bar Recipe

Take a 500gms mix of almonds, peanuts, walnuts, raisins and rice crispies (all chopped into uniform pieces). Next heat 1 cup honey with 1/2 cup brown sugar. When the honey-sugar mix is hot and liquified, pour it over the dry fruit mix in a pan with about 3-4 inches depth. Press down, till the honey-sugar mix binds the entire pan's contents. Leave it to set for a couple of hours. Then cut into squares and shrink wrap for storage. Pop one square every time you feel sluggish at work.

Fruit Salads

Rely on seasonal fruits, natural sweeteners or spices, and maybe some skimmed yogurt to add that refreshing feel.

Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is fulfilling and super yummy. An ideal office snack, you should go for low-fat or skimmed milk versions of greek yogurt. If you want, you can just add a dash of honey or jaggery to it. However, do watch for the fat grams. Best is to add some fresh berries, fine dices of apples and bananas to it.

Nuts

Grabbing a handful of nuts from the little bag in your handbag saves you the inevitable regret later on when you realize that you have binged on something unhealthy and fattening. Nuts are packed with proteins. While most other snacks are packed with carbs and other empty calories, nuts are one of the few snack items that have proteins and fill you up for a very long time.

Soy Rolls

Soy chapatti rolls can be cooked in 10 minutes flat, if you have all the ingredients handy. Soak soya granules in a cup of water for an hour or so. Now take the prepared chapatti and dip it into the beaten egg mixture. Add one teaspoon oil to a non-stick pan (on each chapatti) and roast it. Once the chapatti is ready, put a thin layer of pudina chutney, soya stuffing, cucumber, radish and garam masala. Roll the chapatti in the shape of a roll and your soya chapatti rolls are ready.

Crunchy Bhel

1 cup roasted mumra (rice flakes)

1 finely chopped cucumber

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 finely chopped tomato

2 table spoons coriander chutney

2 table spoons sweet chutney- made of dates

1/2 cup green mung sprouted

1 small medium potato,(optional)

Method: Mix all the ingredients together and serve immediately.

Instant Oatmeal

A plain instant oatmeal packet is a great way to indulge in something comforting, yet healthy. You can add your own flavourings and keep a tab on the calorie and sugar content. Top it with raisins or add cinnamon and nutmeg to it and your powerful healthy office snack is ready. Oatmeal is low in cholesterol and is known to reduce the risk of heart diseases.

Mini Pitas

Here’s how to prepare your own mini pitas - Take a whole wheat pita pocket and spread pizza or salsa sauce evenly inside it. Sprinkle a bit of fat-free mozzarella cheese and your own combination of in-season vegetables. Place it over a baking tray and microwave it for a few minutes until the cheese is nice and melted. Pack this snack and your protein-boosting snack is ready.

Thai Lemongrass and Coconut Soup

In Thailand, soup is often served for breakfast; perhaps a comforting bowl of rice soup. Soup figures largely in traditional Thai dinners and banquets, serving as both beverage and main course (all dishes are served simultaneously, not in courses) and sometimes including two different kinds.

The soup is served and kept hot in a hot pot. While most people today serve it out in bowls, it's still not uncommon for diners to spoon it right out of the pot into their mouths or onto their rice as a flavoring.

Heat oil and add the lemongrass, galangal, chilli, and garlic, in a large shallow pan. Allow to cook for a few minutes to release the aromas, stirring frequently. Add the chicken /mushrooms /prawns and stir fry lightly, for chicken cook until it begins to whiten (5 mins), for prawns cook until they turn pink and tender (2-3 mins), cook mushrooms until almost cooked.

Add the coconut milk to the pan and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for a few minutes. Taste soup and adjust adding splashes of Thai fish sauce, to taste.

Pack a foil tray of healthy stir-fried fresh veggies like baby tomatoes, celery, carrots, beans and whatever veggie you like. Stir fried vegetables are a great way to add the much needed doze of vitamins, minerals and fiber to your diet.

Aloo ChaatIngredients

300 gms baby potatoes

2 tbsp date and tamarind chutney

1 tbsp tomato ketchup

chopped onion

2 tbsp coriander

chaat masala to taste

MethodBoil and skin the baby potatoes, cut into halves and let them cool. In a bowl, mix the date and tamarind chutney, tomato ketchup, chopped onions and chaat masala. Add the boiled potatoes to this and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve Chilled.

Thin Baked Eggplant Chips

Slice a long eggplant into thin strips. Sprinkle with salt and leave for a few hours. Then, drain the slices and pre-heat the oven at 180 celsius. In a separate bowl, mix paprika, red chili powder, turmeric, olive oil (2tbs), garam masala and some salt to taste. Cover the eggplant strips with this mixture and bake for 30 minutes, or until slightly crisp. Another great snack that's pretty okay with the popular - 'no one can eat just one' sentiment.

Pan-grilled Fish Fillet Sandwiches

Wash and prepare the fish for cooking by rubbing the boneless fillets with some salt and turmeric. After 15 minutes, add the marinate of your choice - you could go with some dried herbs mixed with pepper, paprika and five spice powder. Keep aside for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the bread for the fillets. Spread some mustard or butter, layer with onion rings, tomatoes and washed and dried lettuce leaves. Now take a grilling pan, and add 1tbs olive oil. Add the fillets to it and pan-grill for 5 minutes on each side. Add to the bread and enjoy!

Separate the egg whites. Double fry the egg whites in a nonstick pan without any oil. Toast some multigrain or whole wheat bread slices. Fill the stuffing of the eggs and the chicken in yogurt for the alternate layers of bread slices. Serve the club sandwich warm with a lettuce salad.

Spinach ChipsEven a leafy green vegetable can fill in for potato chips, if you bake it right. An added bonus: with spinach, there's no slicing necessary. Packed with vitamins A and C,spinach makes a surprisingly elegant and scrumptious salty snack.

1 small bunch of spinach

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp vinegar, optional

Sea salt to taste

Preheat oven to 300°F. Cut away inner ribs from each kale leaf and discard, then tear the spinach leaves into same-size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry pieces, then put them in a large Ziploc bag or bowl. Add half of the olive oil, seal bag and squeeze, distributing the oil evenly on the kale pieces. Add rest of olive oil and squeeze the bag further, until all kale pieces are evenly coated with oil and slightly "massaged." Sprinkle vinegar over the leaves, then reseal and shake bag to distribute vinegar throughout.

Arrange spinach leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet, then roast until they are mostly crisp, about 35 mins. Check every 10 mins. or so and turn pieces over as needed. When chips are done to your liking, sprinkle with a generous amount of sea salt and eat immediately.

Brown Bread Treats

Toast 4 slices of brown bread and then cut them into wedges - 4 per slice. Now layer them with a little mustard, add a tomato slice on top and top with some breakfast meat like strips of ham or salami. You can even add one slice of a boiled egg and sprinkle with some salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil. An excellent and healthy snack with crunch and nutrients. This snack will be a great portion for two.

Thinly Sliced Marinated Zucchini

Sprinkle salt to taste on the thin zucchini slices and leave for 30 minutes. Then, rinse, drain and mix with 2-3tbs of fresh lemon juice, crushed garlic and some extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and then refrigerate. After a few hours, this will set wonderfully and all you'll need to do is sprinkle the zucchini with some mixed Italian dried (or fresh) herbs and serve. Quick and efficient, this snack is healthy and extremely addictive. For once, you can continue dipping into that bowl!

Chicken Dumpling Soup

Ingredients

2 tbs oil

1 onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, diced

1 knob of ginger, sliced

2.5 litres of chicken stock

4 star anise

3 cinnamon sticks, broken in half

2 tbs sugar

½ cup fish sauce

Juice of 1 lime

Salt, to taste

1 packet of chicken dumplings

To serve:

1 bunch coriander

1 bunch mint

2 red chillies, sliced

2 cups bean sprouts

Wedges of lime and lemon, to serve

MethodTo make the soup stock, place large pot on med-high heat, sauté the onion, ginger and garlic with the oil for a few minutes until translucent. Add chicken stock, star anise, cinnamon, fish sauce and sugar then bring to the boil. Scrap the top of the soup for any impurities.

Let it simmer for a few minutes. (Add more stock, if the stock reduces too much). Strain, reserving liquid. Drop dumplings into simmering stock and cook for about 2 – 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to soup bowls, pour over the soup with fish sauce and lime juice, and serve with fresh herbs and sprouts.

Method: Take whole wheat pita pocket and spread pizza or salsa sauce evenly inside it. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese and your own combination on in-season vegetables. Place it over a baking tray and microwave it for a few minutes until the cheese is nice and melted.

Spinach ChipsEven a leafy green vegetable can fill in for potato chips, if you bake it right. An added bonus: with spinach, there's no slicing necessary. Packed with vitamins A and C,spinach makes a surprisingly elegant and scrumptious salty snack.

1 small bunch of spinach

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp vinegar, optional

Sea salt to taste

Preheat oven to 300°F. Cut away inner ribs from each kale leaf and discard, then tear the spinach leaves into same-size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry pieces, then put them in a large Ziploc bag or bowl. Add half of the olive oil, seal bag and squeeze, distributing the oil evenly on the kale pieces. Add rest of olive oil and squeeze the bag further, until all kale pieces are evenly coated with oil and slightly "massaged." Sprinkle vinegar over the leaves, then reseal and shake bag to distribute vinegar throughout.

Arrange spinach leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet, then roast until they are mostly crisp, about 35 mins. Check every 10 mins. or so and turn pieces over as needed. When chips are done to your liking, sprinkle with a generous amount of sea salt and eat immediately.